TEXARKANA MONTHLY
photo by Molly Kendrick
Perhaps a truer meaning for “power” as it is reflected in this hard-working couple would be centered on their ability to embrace and celebrate each other while also embracing and celebrating the community they serve. In the words of Gandhi himself, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” What if we could all embrace each other more? What if we could all celebrate each other more? What if we could all serve each other more? The example of Maria and Sergio Rodriguez has shown us a picture of what that might look like, both through their marriage and business. In that spirit, let us pull up to the table, raise our margaritas high, munch on some chips and salsa and toast Amigo Juan, this incredible couple, and all they have built together.
for gatherings of friends and family to eat and celebrate just about anything from birthdays to graduations. As with any marriage and small business, there are always new struggles and issues to deal with, but no one could have imagined the struggles 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic would bring, especially to restaurants, including frustrating shutdowns and limited seating restrictions. Sergio and Maria did not let that stop them, but rose to the challenge and focused on what they could control. “We had to face the unknown, just like so many others did. We had to learn to adjust and lean on each other even more than we had. The pandemic brought us closer, put us through challenges, but also taught us how to overcome barriers, improve productivity and even advance our ways.” As they look forward to brighter days, their mission is to continue with the same
“try our best to do our best” principles they have always had and keep their one longstanding goal in mind, to “Treat others the way you want to be treated. We want to serve the community and our staff by example, while doing what is right and helping when it is needed.” Twenty-seven years in and they are still going strong and have been blessed with three children, Erika (25), Sergio (19) and Nicholas (12). Erika works as a Speech and Language Pathologist. Sergio is in business school and Nicholas is in the seventh grade. The jury is still out about whether any of their children will be interested in following in their parents’ footsteps and taking over the business, but Sergio and Maria are not worried. “They have grown up calling the restaurant their second home. We know if one of them chooses to take over some day, they will work just as hard and do great in the family business.”
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BUSINESS & POLITICS
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